Patentable/Patents/US-9835460
US-9835460

GPS map-matching based on space map-matching

PublishedDecember 5, 2017
Assigneenot available in USPTO data we have
Inventorsnot available in USPTO data we have
Technical Abstract

An embodiment of the invention provides a method that identifies GPS shifting fields for road segments, the GPS shifting fields including areas around the road segments that include false GPS readings of objects that traveled on the road segments. The GPS shifting fields can be revised with a road segment attribute and/or at a driver preference. The road map network can be partitioned into space units, where the road map network can include at least two GPS readings of the object. For each space unit that includes a road segment, a probability that the object was located on the road segment can be calculated for each road segment based on the GPS readings of the object and the GPS shifting fields. The trajectory of the object can be determined based on the computing of the probabilities.

Patent Claims
20 claims

Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.

Claim 1

Original Legal Text

1. A method of identifying a trajectory of an object on a map, the trajectory being aligned with road segments in a road map network, said method comprising: identifying global positioning system (GPS) shifting fields for at least two of the road segments with a GPS shifting field constructor including a first processor, each GPS shifting field of the GPS shifting fields including an area around a road segment of the road segments that includes false GPS readings of objects that travelled on the road segment; revising the GPS shifting fields with the GPS shifting field constructor, the GPS shifting fields being revised with at least one of a road segment attribute and at a driver preference, the road segment attribute including at least one of a road segment name, locative information for the road segment name, and a popularity score for the road segment name, and the driver preference including at least one of a preferred road, an unpreferred road, a shortest route preference, a quickest route preference, and a no toll preference; partitioning the road map network into space units with a GPS shifting field indexer including a second processor connected to the GPS shifting field constructor, the road map network including at least two GPS readings of the object; for each space unit that includes at least one road segment of the road segments, calculating for each road segment in the space unit with a virtual network constructor including a third processor connected to the GPS shifting field indexer, a probability that the object was located on the road segment in the space unit based on the GPS readings of the object and the GPS shifting fields; and determining the trajectory of the object with a most possible path searcher including a fourth processor connected to the virtual network constructor, the trajectory of the object being determined based on said computing of the probabilities.

Plain English Translation

A method to improve GPS map-matching accuracy by accounting for common GPS inaccuracies. The method identifies "GPS shifting fields" around road segments, representing areas where GPS readings tend to be falsely located when a device is actually on that road. These shifting fields are customized based on factors like road name, location, road popularity, and user preferences (preferred/unpreferred roads, shortest/quickest routes, toll avoidance). The road network is divided into space units. For each unit, the method calculates the probability that the object is on a given road segment based on the object's GPS readings and the corresponding GPS shifting fields. Finally, the most likely trajectory is determined based on these probabilities. This calculation is performed using a system comprising a GPS shifting field constructor, a GPS shifting field indexer, a virtual network constructor and a most possible path searcher, each with a processor.

Claim 2

Original Legal Text

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said revising the GPS shifting fields includes reducing sizes of the GPS shifting fields.

Plain English Translation

The method described for improving GPS map-matching accuracy (identifying "GPS shifting fields" around road segments, customizing them based on road and user attributes, dividing the road network into space units, calculating the probability that the object is on a given road segment based on the object's GPS readings and the corresponding GPS shifting fields, and determining the most likely trajectory based on these probabilities) further refines the "GPS shifting fields" by reducing their size. This helps to more accurately pinpoint the true location of the object, minimizing false positives when matching GPS data to road segments.

Claim 3

Original Legal Text

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the road segment attribute one of reduces a size of a GPS shifting field and increases the size of the GPS shifting field.

Plain English Translation

The method described for improving GPS map-matching accuracy (identifying "GPS shifting fields" around road segments, customizing them based on road and user attributes, dividing the road network into space units, calculating the probability that the object is on a given road segment based on the object's GPS readings and the corresponding GPS shifting fields, and determining the most likely trajectory based on these probabilities) uses road segment attributes (road name, location, popularity) to adjust the size of the "GPS shifting fields." A specific road segment attribute either reduces the size of the GPS shifting field (making the matching more precise) or increases the size (making the matching more lenient).

Claim 4

Original Legal Text

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the driver preference one of reduces a size of a GPS shifting field and increases the size of the GPS shifting field.

Plain English Translation

The method described for improving GPS map-matching accuracy (identifying "GPS shifting fields" around road segments, customizing them based on road and user attributes, dividing the road network into space units, calculating the probability that the object is on a given road segment based on the object's GPS readings and the corresponding GPS shifting fields, and determining the most likely trajectory based on these probabilities) uses driver preferences (preferred/unpreferred roads, shortest/quickest route, no toll roads) to adjust the size of the "GPS shifting fields." A specific driver preference either reduces the size of the GPS shifting field (making the matching more precise) or increases the size (making the matching more lenient).

Claim 5

Original Legal Text

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said calculating of the probability that the object was located on the road segment in the space unit includes calculating the probability based on a distance of a GPS reading of the object from a GPS shifting field of the road segment in the space unit.

Plain English Translation

The method described for improving GPS map-matching accuracy (identifying "GPS shifting fields" around road segments, customizing them based on road and user attributes, dividing the road network into space units, calculating the probability that the object is on a given road segment based on the object's GPS readings and the corresponding GPS shifting fields, and determining the most likely trajectory based on these probabilities) calculates the probability of an object being on a road segment within a space unit based on the distance between the object's GPS reading and the GPS shifting field associated with that road segment. This means the closer the GPS reading is to the shifting field, the higher the probability.

Claim 6

Original Legal Text

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said calculating of the probability that the object was located on the road segment in the space unit includes calculating a higher probability for a first road segment in the space unit with respect to a second road segment in the space unit when a GPS reading of the object is located closer to a GPS shifting field of the first road segment in the space unit than a GPS shifting field of the second road segment in the space unit.

Plain English Translation

The method described for improving GPS map-matching accuracy (identifying "GPS shifting fields" around road segments, customizing them based on road and user attributes, dividing the road network into space units, calculating the probability that the object is on a given road segment based on the object's GPS readings and the corresponding GPS shifting fields, and determining the most likely trajectory based on these probabilities) compares the distances of the object's GPS reading to multiple road segments within a space unit. It calculates a higher probability for a road segment if the GPS reading is closer to its GPS shifting field than to the shifting field of other segments in the same unit.

Claim 7

Original Legal Text

7. A method of identifying a trajectory of an object on a map, the trajectory being aligned with route segments in a route map network, said method comprising: identifying global positioning system (GPS) shifting fields for at least two of the route segments with a GPS shifting field constructor, each GPS shifting field including an area around a route segment that includes false GPS readings of objects that traveled on the route segment; partitioning the route map network into space units with a GPS shifting field indexer connected to the GPS shifting field constructor, the route map network including at least two GPS readings of the object; for each space unit that includes a route segment, calculating for each route segment in the space unit with a virtual network constructor connected to the GPS shifting field indexer, a probability that the object was located on the route segment based on the GPS readings of the object and the GPS shifting fields; and determining the trajectory of the object with a most possible path searcher connected to the virtual network constructor, the trajectory of the object being determined based on said computing of the probabilities.

Plain English Translation

A method to improve GPS map-matching accuracy by accounting for common GPS inaccuracies. The method identifies "GPS shifting fields" around route segments, representing areas where GPS readings tend to be falsely located when a device is actually on that route. The route network is divided into space units. For each unit, the method calculates the probability that the object is on a given route segment based on the object's GPS readings and the corresponding GPS shifting fields. Finally, the most likely trajectory is determined based on these probabilities. This calculation is performed using a system comprising a GPS shifting field constructor, a GPS shifting field indexer, a virtual network constructor and a most possible path searcher.

Claim 8

Original Legal Text

8. The method according to claim 7 , further comprising revising the GPS shifting fields with at least one route segment attribute and at least one driver preference.

Plain English Translation

The method described for improving GPS map-matching accuracy (identifying "GPS shifting fields" around route segments, dividing the route network into space units, calculating the probability that the object is on a given route segment based on the object's GPS readings and the corresponding GPS shifting fields, and determining the most likely trajectory based on these probabilities) further customizes the "GPS shifting fields" based on route segment attributes and driver preferences. These attributes and preferences are used to refine the shifting fields, improving the accuracy of the map-matching.

Claim 9

Original Legal Text

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the route segment attribute includes at least one of a route segment name, locative information for the route segment, popularity score for the route segment, elevation information, terrain information, and number of lanes.

Plain English Translation

The method described for improving GPS map-matching accuracy (identifying "GPS shifting fields" around route segments, dividing the route network into space units, calculating the probability that the object is on a given route segment based on the object's GPS readings and the corresponding GPS shifting fields, determining the most likely trajectory based on these probabilities, and customizing "GPS shifting fields" based on route segment attributes and driver preferences) defines the route segment attribute as including route segment name, locative information for the route segment, popularity score, elevation information, terrain information, and number of lanes.

Claim 10

Original Legal Text

10. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the route segment attribute includes a route segment name, locative information for the route segment, popularity score for the route segment, elevation information, terrain information, and number of lanes.

Plain English Translation

The method described for improving GPS map-matching accuracy (identifying "GPS shifting fields" around route segments, dividing the route network into space units, calculating the probability that the object is on a given route segment based on the object's GPS readings and the corresponding GPS shifting fields, determining the most likely trajectory based on these probabilities, and customizing "GPS shifting fields" based on route segment attributes and driver preferences) defines the route segment attribute as including a route segment name, locative information for the route segment, popularity score, elevation information, terrain information, and number of lanes.

Claim 11

Original Legal Text

11. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the driver preference includes at least one of a preferred route, an unpreferred route, a shortest route preference, a quickest route preference, and a no toll preference.

Plain English Translation

The method described for improving GPS map-matching accuracy (identifying "GPS shifting fields" around route segments, dividing the route network into space units, calculating the probability that the object is on a given route segment based on the object's GPS readings and the corresponding GPS shifting fields, determining the most likely trajectory based on these probabilities, and customizing "GPS shifting fields" based on route segment attributes and driver preferences) defines driver preferences as including a preferred route, an unpreferred route, a shortest route preference, a quickest route preference, and a no toll preference.

Claim 12

Original Legal Text

12. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the driver preference includes a preferred route, an unpreferred route, a shortest route preference, a quickest route preference, and a no toll preference.

Plain English Translation

The method described for improving GPS map-matching accuracy (identifying "GPS shifting fields" around route segments, dividing the route network into space units, calculating the probability that the object is on a given route segment based on the object's GPS readings and the corresponding GPS shifting fields, determining the most likely trajectory based on these probabilities, and customizing "GPS shifting fields" based on route segment attributes and driver preferences) defines the driver preferences as including a preferred route, an unpreferred route, a shortest route preference, a quickest route preference, and a no toll preference.

Claim 13

Original Legal Text

13. The method according to claim 8 , wherein said revising the GPS shifting fields includes reducing sizes of the GPS shifting fields.

Plain English Translation

The method described for improving GPS map-matching accuracy (identifying "GPS shifting fields" around route segments, dividing the route network into space units, calculating the probability that the object is on a given route segment based on the object's GPS readings and the corresponding GPS shifting fields, determining the most likely trajectory based on these probabilities, and customizing "GPS shifting fields" based on route segment attributes and driver preferences) further refines the "GPS shifting fields" by reducing their size. This helps to more accurately pinpoint the true location of the object, minimizing false positives when matching GPS data to road segments.

Claim 14

Original Legal Text

14. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the route segment attribute one of reduces a size of a GPS shifting field and increases the size of the GPS shifting field.

Plain English Translation

The method described for improving GPS map-matching accuracy (identifying "GPS shifting fields" around route segments, dividing the route network into space units, calculating the probability that the object is on a given route segment based on the object's GPS readings and the corresponding GPS shifting fields, and determining the most likely trajectory based on these probabilities) uses route segment attributes (route segment name, location, popularity, elevation, terrain, number of lanes) to adjust the size of the "GPS shifting fields." A specific route segment attribute either reduces the size of the GPS shifting field (making the matching more precise) or increases the size (making the matching more lenient).

Claim 15

Original Legal Text

15. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the driver preference one of reduces a size of a GPS shifting field and increases the size of the GPS shifting field.

Plain English Translation

The method described for improving GPS map-matching accuracy (identifying "GPS shifting fields" around route segments, dividing the route network into space units, calculating the probability that the object is on a given route segment based on the object's GPS readings and the corresponding GPS shifting fields, and determining the most likely trajectory based on these probabilities) uses driver preferences (preferred/unpreferred routes, shortest/quickest route, no toll roads) to adjust the size of the "GPS shifting fields." A specific driver preference either reduces the size of the GPS shifting field (making the matching more precise) or increases the size (making the matching more lenient).

Claim 16

Original Legal Text

16. The method according to claim 7 , wherein said calculating of the probability that the object was located on the route segment includes calculating the probability based on a distance of a GPS reading of the object from a GPS shifting field of the route segment.

Plain English Translation

The method described for improving GPS map-matching accuracy (identifying "GPS shifting fields" around route segments, dividing the route network into space units, calculating the probability that the object is on a given route segment based on the object's GPS readings and the corresponding GPS shifting fields, and determining the most likely trajectory based on these probabilities) calculates the probability of an object being on a route segment within a space unit based on the distance between the object's GPS reading and the GPS shifting field associated with that route segment. This means the closer the GPS reading is to the shifting field, the higher the probability.

Claim 17

Original Legal Text

17. The method according to claim 7 , wherein said calculating of the probability that the object was located on the route segment includes calculating a higher probability for a first route segment with respect to a second route segment when a GPS reading of the object is located closer to a GPS shifting field of the first route segment than a GPS shifting field of the second route segment.

Plain English Translation

The method described for improving GPS map-matching accuracy (identifying "GPS shifting fields" around route segments, dividing the route network into space units, calculating the probability that the object is on a given route segment based on the object's GPS readings and the corresponding GPS shifting fields, and determining the most likely trajectory based on these probabilities) compares the distances of the object's GPS reading to multiple route segments within a space unit. It calculates a higher probability for a route segment if the GPS reading is closer to its GPS shifting field than to the shifting field of other segments in the same unit.

Claim 18

Original Legal Text

18. A computer program product for identifying a trajectory of an object on a map, the trajectory being aligned with road segments in a road map network, said computer program product comprising: a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon: first program instructions executable by a device to cause the device to identify global positioning system (GPS) shifting fields for at least two of the road segments, each GPS shifting field of the GPS shifting fields including an area around a road segment of the road segments that includes false GPS readings of objects that traveled on the road segment; second program instructions executable by a device to cause the device to revise the GPS shifting fields, the GPS shifting fields being revised with at least one of a road segment attribute and at a driver preference, the road segment attribute including at least one of a road segment name, locative information for the road segment name, and a popularity score for the road segment name, and the driver preference including at least one of a preferred road, an unpreferred road, a shortest route preference, a quickest route preference, and a no toll preference; third program instructions executable by a device to cause the device to partition the road map network into space units, the road map network including at least two GPS readings of the object; fourth program instructions executable by a device to cause the device to, for each space unit that includes at least one road segment of the road segments, calculate for each road segment in the space unit a probability that the object was located on the road segment in the space unit based on the GPS readings of the object and the GPS shifting fields; and fifth program instructions executable by a device to cause the device to determine the trajectory of the object based on the computing of the probabilities.

Plain English Translation

A computer program product for improved GPS map-matching accuracy, containing instructions to: 1) Identify "GPS shifting fields" around road segments, representing areas where GPS readings tend to be falsely located; 2) Revise these shifting fields based on road attributes (name, location, popularity) and user preferences (preferred/unpreferred roads, shortest/quickest routes, toll avoidance); 3) Partition the road network into space units; 4) Calculate, for each space unit, the probability of the object being on a given road segment based on its GPS readings and the corresponding shifting fields; and 5) Determine the most likely trajectory based on these probabilities.

Claim 19

Original Legal Text

19. The computer program product according to claim 18 , wherein the road segment attribute one of reduces a size of a GPS shifting field and increases the size of the GPS shifting field, and wherein the driver preference one of reduces a size of a GPS shifting field and increases the size of the GPS shifting field.

Plain English Translation

The computer program product for improved GPS map-matching accuracy (identifying "GPS shifting fields" around road segments, revising based on road attributes and user preferences, partitioning the road network, calculating probabilities based on GPS readings and shifting fields, and determining the trajectory) uses road segment attributes and driver preferences to influence the size of the GPS shifting fields. Specifically, both road segment attributes and driver preferences can either reduce or increase the size of the GPS shifting field, thus influencing the map-matching probability.

Claim 20

Original Legal Text

20. The computer program product according to claim 18 , wherein fourth program instructions calculates the probability based on a distance of a GPS reading of the object from a GPS shifting field of the road segment in the space unit.

Plain English Translation

The computer program product for improved GPS map-matching accuracy (identifying "GPS shifting fields" around road segments, revising based on road attributes and user preferences, partitioning the road network, calculating probabilities based on GPS readings and shifting fields, and determining the trajectory) calculates the probability of an object being on a road segment based on the distance between the object's GPS reading and the GPS shifting field associated with that road segment. The closer the GPS reading is to the shifting field, the higher the calculated probability.

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Patent Metadata

Filing Date

December 28, 2015

Publication Date

December 5, 2017

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GPS map-matching based on space map-matching